Capital decision irrevocable: Naidu

VIJAYAWADA: In an attempt to make the farmers, who are unwilling to part with their land for the capital, to fall in line, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday made it clear that there was no question of shifting the location of the capital from the right bank of the river Krishna.

Naidu said he was not the kind to succumb to pressures. Speaking to farmers of Tulluru mandal, which is identified for building the state capital, on Saturday he said he was planning to construct a capital city of global standards that would be subject of praise for thousands of years to come. While thanking farmers who voluntarily came forward to give their property for the capital, Naidu pooh-poohed the critics of the land pooling system.

"You people may be having love and affection for the land being cultivated for decades. I too have love for my native place Tirupati. Did I choose Tirupati for state's capital city?" Naidu asked.

He said farmers of the proposed capital city should also keep in mind that they would be party of a new history by allowing a world-class city to come up in their vicinity. Promising to give every possible benefit to the locals, particularly farmers, Naidu declared that the construction of the capital in Tulluru mandal is certain. "No one can make me change my plans. Many attempts have already been made to scuttle the plan. I have taken the decision and there is no going back," declared Naidu amidst slogan-shouting and clapping by farmers.

"We cannot progress without a global capital," he said. He added that the compensation package announced for land pooling is the best in the world. About two dozen farmers from Tulluru came to the city and felicitated Naidu for choosing their mandal for building the capital.